Pasadena City College The Awakening by Kate Chopin Essay
The Awakening can easily be read as a long list of accusations against Edna—against her irresponsibility, her failure as a wife and a mother, her sexual immorality, her self-obsession, and ultimately her cowardly, selfish abandonment of her children—her suicide. But let’s assume that Chopin did not write this novel as a cautionary tale to condemn wayward, immoral women, like Edna, who fail to abide by the laws of society, and to warn them of the downfall that awaits them. That leaves us wondering why Chopin created Edna Pontellier as she did, what her purpose was. Suppose that Chopin had a purpose that goes beyond enforcing opinions we already have, and write an essay in which you explain that the author made it possible for the reader to see significant value and meaning in Edna’s awakening.
